
[Zapier](https://zapier.com/) is a leading no-code automation platform that allows you to connect your favorite apps and automate repetitive tasks. Whether it’s sending emails, updating databases, or generating images—Zapier helps you build powerful workflows without writing a single line of code.

It supports [hundreds of app integrations](https://zapier.com/apps), making it a great solution for automating marketing, sales, and admin tasks. One such use case? **Automated image generation** using RenderForm.

With just a few clicks, you can set up a Zap that generates images dynamically using your own templates—or even take a screenshot of a website.

<ZapierPlugin/>

---

## Quick Start: Create a Custom Image with Zapier

To get started, search for **RenderForm** in the Zapier App Directory and select the **"Create Image"** action. Choose the template you'd like to use, and in the *Changes* section, define which elements should be replaced dynamically.

![Render image with Zapier](/blog/zapier/render-image-with-zapier.jpeg)

To find the list of editable properties for your template, open the template preview in RenderForm and switch to the **Form Editor** tab.

![Get template properties for image rendering](/blog/zapier/get-image-properties-for-image-rendering.jpeg)

For a complete guide to template properties, check out the [RenderForm docs](/docs/general/template-properties/).

---

## Why Automate Image Generation?

If you're manually creating dozens of similar images—like product cards, social banners, or personalized emails—automation can save you hours of repetitive work. Just set up a template once and let Zapier take care of generating images for new data entries.

The basic idea is to automatically **replace parts of your image template with new content**, such as names, prices, images, or dates. This is perfect for:

- Personalized email campaigns
- E-commerce product visuals
- Blog or social media graphics

Let’s walk through an example using RenderForm + Zapier + Tally forms.

---

## How to Automate Image Generation with Zapier

Zapier makes automation easy. In this case, we’ll set up a three-step workflow:

1. Set a trigger (e.g. a new form submission),
2. Create an image template in RenderForm,
3. Configure the image generation in Zapier.

Let’s go through it step by step.

### Step 1: Set the Trigger Event

We’ll start by creating a **trigger** that will launch the image generation process. This can be anything—from a new lead or calendar event, to a form submission or database update.

![Create event with Tally](/blog/zapier-trigger-event.jpeg)

In this example, our trigger will be a **new form submission from [Tally](https://tally.so)**.

1. In Zapier, create a new Zap.
2. Set **Tally** as the trigger app.
3. Connect your Tally account and select the form you want to use.
4. Let Zapier test the connection to make sure data can be pulled correctly.

**What’s the use case?** I created a simple Tally form that gathers details needed to create a hotel offer for a client—like hotel name, dates, price, and availability.

![Tally form](/blog/make-tally-form.jpeg)

---

### Step 2: Design Your Image Template in RenderForm

Next, we’ll create an image template in RenderForm. Each editable field in your template—like `price`, `title`, or `image`—will act as a dynamic component that Zapier can update automatically.

![Create image template in RenderForm](/blog/make-renderform-template-l.jpeg)

In this example, I’ve created components for the hotel name, price, availability, and main image. Each time the form is submitted, these fields will be replaced with the corresponding values from Tally.

---

### Step 3: Create the Image in Zapier

The final step is to connect **RenderForm** to your Zapier workflow and configure the image generation.

1. Add a new action to your Zap.
2. Choose **RenderForm** and select the **"Create Image"** action.
3. Connect your RenderForm account using your [API key](https://renderform.io/console/api-keys/).

![Add RenderForm event in Zapier](/blog/zapier-renderform-apikey.jpeg)

Now configure the image generation:

- **Component Name** – On the left side, enter the component name and type, e.g. `price.text` (to target the `price` component of type `text`).
- **Form Field** – On the right side, choose the corresponding Tally field that should populate the image component.

![Set up RenderForm image generation](/blog/zapier-renderform-setup.jpeg)

Repeat this process for each element you want to update dynamically in your image.

---

### Test and Run the Automation

Once your Zap is configured, save it and let Zapier run a test. If everything is set up correctly, you’ll get a **new image generated from your form submission**—complete with all the personalized details.

![Image generated automatically](/blog/make-renderform-image.jpg)

Don’t forget to **turn on your Zap** so it actively listens for new submissions.

That’s it! The entire setup takes just a few minutes, and the results can dramatically speed up your workflow.

---

## Ideas & Use Cases

Once you’ve got image generation working, here are a few creative ways to expand your workflow:

- Automatically generate social media graphics for new blog posts
- Create custom product cards with prices from Google Sheets or Airtable
- Generate dynamic banners for newsletter emails
- Use screenshots to document website changes or generate content previews

You can even **chain Zapier actions** together to upload generated images to Google Drive, send them via Slack, or publish them online.

---

## Resources

- [List of RenderForm Template Properties](/docs/general/template-properties/)
- [Dynamic OG Image Documentation](/docs/general/dynamic-og-images/)
- [Zapier – Official Website](https://zapier.com)

**Ready to try it out?** Head over to [Zapier](https:/)


Image Generation with Zapier


Do you have trouble sending birthday wishes to your team members on time? Sometimes, we forget or put it off because it doesn't seem important compared to other work tasks. However, acknowledging birthdays within your team is vital. It helps build a sense of camaraderie, shows appreciation, and creates a positive work environment. In this blog post, we will solve this problem by creating automated and customized birthday wishes. Keep reading for the details!

## Why automate sending birthday cards

Automating the process of sending birthday wishes is a great solution for various reasons:

- You never forget to send wishes, even during busy times.
- Enables scalability, allowing you to send personalized wishes to many recipients simultaneously.
- Saves time and effort by eliminating manual intervention.
- Maintains consistency in your birthday greetings.
- Allows for scheduling and customization in advance, creating a seamless and heartfelt experience for recipients.

Automating birthday wishes makes the process easier and more enjoyable for you. By saving time and effort, automation allows you to spend more quality time with the birthday person. It simplifies the process and lets you focus on the personal aspects of celebrating their special day.

## Birthday wishes automation

The automation we are going to build works great especially for workspaces and teams. The automation combines the power of three platforms:

- [Google Calendar](https://calendar.google.com/): Utilizing Google Calendar, we will **create a dedicated calendar** to keep track of team members' birthdays.
- [RenderForm](http://renderform.io): With RenderForm, we can easily **generate personalized birthday cards**, ensuring a unique touch for each individual.
- [Zapier](http://zapier.com): By harnessing the capabilities of Zapier, we can seamlessly **connect these apps** and effortlessly send birthday messages and corresponding images to the designated Slack channel.

The end result is simple yet impactful. The birthday person will receive a personalized card filled with warm wishes directly on the selected Slack channel. With this automation in place, celebrating team members' birthdays becomes a breeze, fostering a positive and engaging work environment.

## Create and setup Google Calendar


To begin, let's create a new calendar in Google Calendar specifically dedicated to birthdays. Follow the steps outlined in [Google Support's help base here](https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37095) to create the calendar effectively.

After creating the calendar, we need to populate it with the actual birthdays of our team members. Here's how you can do it:
1. Add event to your calendar (set event time to hour that aligns with when you want the birthday message to be delivered.)
2. Add the birthday person's name as the **event title**.
3. Set the event to **repeat yearly** to ensure it recurs automatically.
4. In the **description**, include a short personalized birthday message that will be added to the birthday card.
5. Ensure that you select the **Birthdays calendar** you created.
6. Set the event as **Free** to avoid affecting your real work calendar availability.

![Creating birthdays calendar in Google](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-google-calendar.png)

This step may require some initial effort, but remember that it is a one-time task. You may already have some birthdays in your calendar, which can save you time. Once you have completed adding the necessary birthdays, you're ready to proceed to the next step!

> Once the calendar is ready and filled with birthday dates, you can choose to **hide the calendar** to prevent it from impacting your regular work calendar. This way, you can maintain a clean and organized view while still benefiting from the automation.

## Create birthday card template

Now, let's dive into the exciting part of creating a personalized birthday card using RenderForm. This card template will serve as the foundation for the automated birthday wishes, allowing you to customize selected image elements for each recipient.

![Creating birthdays calendar in Google](/blog/birthday-cards/happy-birthday-slack.jpeg)

To begin, log in to your RenderForm account or [sign up for free](/register) if you don't have an account yet. Navigate to **My templates** and start creating your unique birthday card template. With the RenderForm Template Editor, you have the flexibility to incorporate various elements such as **backgrounds, images, emojis, custom shapes, and more**.

For my birthday card template, I've included specific elements that I want to personalize when the card is sent to different individuals:
- birthday person's name (`name`)
- custom text with wishes (`wishes`)

On the left side of the editor, you'll find all the **template elements (components)**. In addition to the mentioned elements, there's an image, background rectangles with colors, emojis, background circles, and other decorative elements.

![Components of the birthdays card template](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-template-components.png)


> **Tip 1:** Rename the [template components](/docs/general/template-properties/) to easily identify them later during image automation.\
> **Tip 2:** Lock elements that you don't want to change during image generation. You can do this by clicking on the lock button in the element properties panel.

Once you've crafted your template to perfection, remember to save it. Now, you're ready for the final step: creating the automation.

## Create the automation

In this final step, we'll create and configure the automation using Zapier, which will seamlessly connect all our apps and facilitate the automated birthday message delivery to the selected Slack channel.

To get started, log in to Zapier and create a **new Zap** by following the instructions below.

### Setting up the Trigger from Google Calendar

The trigger event will be an event from our birthday calendar, which will initiate the desired action when a birthday is detected.

#### App & event

Choose **Google Calendar** from available apps and select **Event Start** as the trigger event.

![Setting up Google Calendar as trigger in Zapier automation](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-zapier-trigger.png)

#### Account

Connect Zapier with your Google account to grant it secure access to your calendar. Rest assured, your calendars will not be shared anywhere.

![Connecting Google Calendar to Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-connecting-calendar.png)

#### Trigger

Now, it's time to specify the trigger event. Start by selecting the **Birthdays calendar** where you've added all the birthdays in your Google Calendar. Next, set up the **Time Before** and unit (I recommend setting it to 30 minutes, which means that Zapier will check for triggers 30 minutes before the birthday event and initiate the automation accordingly). Click **Continue** when you're done.

![Setting up calendar trigger in Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-zapier-trigger-setup.png)

#### Test

The final step in this part is to test the trigger connection. Simply click on **Test trigger** and wait for the results.

![Testing the trigger in Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-zapier-trigger-test.png)

Once the test is completed successfully, click on **Continue** to proceed to the second part of the automation: connecting with the RenderForm birthday card template.

### Action: Link RenderForm template

In the action phase, we'll connect the birthday card template created in RenderForm with the event details from Google Calendar. This will involve using the event title as the birthday person's name and the event description as the personalized wishes.

#### App & event

Search for RenderForm in the list of apps and select **Create Image** as the event.

![Setting up RenderForm as action in Zapier automation](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform.png)

#### Account

Connect Zapier with your RenderForm account to gain access to your templates and enable image automation.

![Connecting RenderForm to Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform-connect.png)

#### Action

In this step, we need to specify how we replace the components in our birthday card template. As a reminder, we'll be replacing the `name.text` and `wishes.text` components from our template. The birthday person's name can be found in the Google Calendar event as the **event title (Summary)**, and the wishes can be obtained from the **event Description**.

![Setting up RenderForm action in Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform-action.png)

#### Test

Next, Zapier will conduct a test to ensure the connection is working correctly. Click on **Continue** and then select **Test action**.

![Testing RenderForm action in Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform-test.png)

Once the test is completed, you can **check the test image in the test result**. Open the image link in a new tab in your browser and verify if everything appears as expected.

![Test result with generated test image](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform-result.png)

Now, instead of publishing our Zap, we need to add one more action: connecting our Slack channel, where the birthday cards will be sent automatically.

### Connect Slack channel

The last step in creating the automation for sending birthday cards is to deliver the actual message and image on Slack. This step follows a similar process, as outlined below.

Begin by adding a new action to our Zap and proceed with the configuration.

#### App & event

Search for Slack in the list of apps and select **Send Channel Message** as the event.

![Setting up Slack as action in Zapier automation](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-slack.png)

#### Account

Connect Zapier with your Slack account to access Slack channels and enable automated messages.

![Connecting Slack to Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-slack-connect.png)

#### Action

In this step we create the message that is sent to Slack. For that we need to:

- select the Slack channel where you want to send the birthday card
- create a message with text and incorporate the RenderForm action result, which is the auto-generated birthday card image

In the message, you can add additional text (optional) and choose the RenderForm action result, which is the automatically generated birthday card image.

![Setting up Slack action in Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform-action.png)

> You can also personalize the message content! Utilize the birthday person's name from the event title to give it a personal touch!

#### Test

To ensure everything is functioning properly, run one final test.

![Testing RenderForm action in Zapier](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-automation-renderform-test.png)

#### Publish Zap

Finally, after conducting the test, click the **Publish** button. With that, our birthday card automation is ready to go!

## Birthday card automation test

Before the automated sending of real birthday cards, it's important to perform a test to ensure that everything is set up correctly. Here's how you can do that:

**1. Create a birthday event in your "Birthdays" calendar**, scheduled for now plus 40 minutes. For example, if it's currently 9:00 AM, set the event to start at 9:40 AM. This allows Zapier enough time to run the trigger.

**2. Wait for the trigger to activate** in Zapier. The trigger will check the calendar for any upcoming birthdays.

**3. Check the result** on your designated Slack channel. You should see the automated birthday card message with the personalized wishes and image.

By performing this test, you can ensure that the automation is functioning correctly and that the birthday cards are being sent as intended.

![Test result for birthday card automation in Slack](/blog/birthday-cards/birthday-card-automation-test.jpeg)

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the seamless automation of sending personalized birthday wishes to your team members on Slack. Celebrate their special days with a touch of automation and make them feel valued and appreciated!


Automate sending birthday cards to&nbsp;your team members


**Image generation** is a technique for creating images automatically or semi-automatically. Designing polished, eye-catching visuals programmatically can be challenging, especially from scratch.

Most great graphic designers don’t code—they use visual tools like Photoshop, Sketch, or RenderForm to create drafts and mockups. Image generation tools like **RenderForm** allow you to create a template once and then generate unlimited variations by modifying dynamic properties like text, colors, or images via API or automation tools.

> Unlike AI-generated art (e.g., Stable Diffusion or DALL·E), RenderForm delivers **faster**, **cheaper**, and **more predictable** results—ideal for business needs like marketing assets, personalized banners, or social media images. Instead of experimenting with prompts, you maintain full control over layout and design.

## Step 1: Create a template

Design your layout using our [Template Editor](/docs/general/template-editor/). Add components such as images, text blocks, or shapes to create a consistent, reusable template.

![Online Editor for Image Generation](/blog/simple-online-design-editor.png)

Make sure all components are correctly placed on the canvas.

### Set image fit

Click on any image and use the panel on the right to adjust the "Image Fit" option:

- Set to `cover` if the image can be cropped to fill the area completely.
- Set to `contain` if the image must remain fully visible (ideal for logos or product shots).

### Adjust the text box

RenderForm automatically scales down text if it exceeds the bounds of the placeholder. You can manually set the **width** and **height** of the text area to ensure enough space for longer content.

![Text alignment](/blog/text-component-alignment.jpg)

### Adjust text alignment

Click on the text element and scroll down to the **Alignment** section in the side panel. You can define how the text grows or wraps if it exceeds the original placeholder size.

## Step 2: Automate and scale

Once your template is ready, it’s time to generate many images automatically by changing only the values of specific components.

No matter which tool you integrate with—**Zapier**, **Make.com**, **Google Sheets**, or a direct **REST API**—the logic remains the same: you specify which component to update and what property to change.

![Layout plus Data equals your image](/blog/image-generation-api.jpg)

Use this format:

```
YOUR_COMPONENT_ID.PROPERTY=YOUR_VALUE
```

Example:

```
myNameComponent.text=This is my name
```

For all supported properties, see the [template properties documentation](/docs/general/template-properties/).

![Example of generated image from Image Generation API](/blog/example-of-generated-image-from-image-generation-api.jpg)

## Summary

Image generation with RenderForm is a fast and reliable way to produce on-brand visuals at scale. By combining visual design with automation, you can save time, reduce costs, and stay consistent—without relying on expensive designers or unpredictable AI models.

Whether you're building marketing banners, social media graphics, or personalized visuals, RenderForm gives you full control and excellent performance, every time.


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Image Generation with Zapier

Automate sending birthday cards to your team members

What is Image Generation?